


Phone-A-Friend

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Fresh Perspectives [4]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack had definitely not given of his dimples permission to come out of their hiding place but they had anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Phone-A-Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Four stories in three days is kinda crazy, even for me. These two are quite loud for me and I just want to get it all down before my lousy short-term memory makes it fizzle away. I have decided on the title _Fresh Perspectives_ for this series. So this would be **#4** in the **Fresh Perspectives** series.

It was quarter to midnight when Stella got in on Thursday night. She stuck her umbrella in the stand by the front door and then bent down to unzip her boots. She left them right in front of the closet door as she walked into the kitchen. Her purse went on the counter; she grabbed her stereo remote and decided to leave on Colbie Caillat. Stella filled the teakettle with water and put it on the stove to boil.

She’d turned off her phone for the last two hours she was at the office…it was hard to concentrate when constantly checking for texts. When she turned it back on there were five messages. One was from her best friend Mike. He was working out of the Chicago office now, training for deep cover. He told her to call him in the morning; he had big news. Stella’s stomach dropped, she hated him doing that kind of work.

It wasn’t for the obvious reason, which was deep cover agents rarely made it to retirement parties. It was because those men and women rarely had families…a hazard of the job. No one deserved a wife, kids, and a white picket fence more than Mike Ketchum. Stella wanted more than anything for him to join cyber crimes, white collar, or counter-terrorism. She would sleep better at night.

There was a message from her younger sister Meghan, all excited about their girls vacation scheduled for early July. The Rossi girls and three girlfriends, including Isabel Hotchner, would be taking over Cancun. Meghan called it Operation: Martinis and Bikinis. She was calling her sister to schedule one more shopping excursion before the trip. Dylan called to ask about dinner or something on Saturday. Stella was definitely up for that.

He was always so busy, working on his PhD in Cultural Anthropology. Dylan lived in the American University library. She hadn’t seen him in months and he surely didn’t know she was dating his brother, unless Jack told him. Her father called to say “I love you and hello”. Stella knew it was too late to call back now but she would first thing in the morning. The fifth call was actually the wrong number. They left a voicemail and everything. She erased that one, putting the cell phone on the counter by her purse.

The kettle whistled, Stella poured the hot water over a Sleepy Time teabag. She moved herself and her music back into the bedroom. She stripped off every inch of her clothing, lying across the cool cotton sheets naked. Burying her face in the pillow, Stella took deep breaths in through her nose and out of her mouth. It had been a long day and it was over but tomorrow would be one as well.

If things didn’t go the way Stella planned, and they weren't thus far, she would be at the field office over the weekend. She hated RICO cases…someone had to wade through that mountainous paper trail. This time that someone was her and some teammates. Sliding off the bed, she went to the top drawer and grabbed a tee shirt. She sat Indian style on the bed bopping her head to Alicia Keys, opened the message center on her phone, and sent a text.

***

The iPhone on Jack’s hip buzzed. He pulled it out of the cradle and looked at it. Seeing it was from Stella, he opened it. ‘ _I miss you. I had a long, lousy day but now I'm home with good music and a cup of tea. I'm lying naked on my bed in case you were wondering_ ’. Jack definitely had not given his dimples permission to come out of their hiding place but they had anyway. His team noticed.

“What’s up, Jack?” Seth Jennings asked, using a pen to scratch his carrot red hair. He was happy for any distraction from those crime scene photos. Jack Hotchner’s full-blown smile was rare indeed.

“Hmm?” Jack looked up from his phone display.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. I need to take this call but you guys keep going. The bastard is leaving bread crumbs and we need to catch up. As of tonight he is no longer ahead of us. Sheppard, you might want to make some more coffee.”

“I refuse to drink another cup of Maxwell House.” Jenny Aquino said. “Jack, it’s a violation of my 8th Amendment rights.”

“And my eyes are crossing looking at these maps.” Andy Pemberton complained.

“Alright guys, 45 minute break,” Jack replied. “Get coffee and snacks cuz we’re gonna be here a while. I need to take this call.”

Jack walked out of the conference room and into the bullpen of the Columbia County, Pennsylvania Sheriff’s office. It was late, the place was nearly deserted. He went outside and sat on one of the benches. His teammate Chelsea Clinton, no relation to the former President, was about eight feet away smoking a cigarette. He was past the point of caring if she heard as he pressed 4 on his cell phone and listened to it ring.

“Hello.”

“I wanted to hear your voice,” Jack said. “I needed to hear it.”

“It is nicer to say goodnight and not text it.” Stella replied.

“You had a long day?”

“Agonizingly so. We’re trying to make a RICO case with some wannabe Sopranos who work off the docks. I'm on the paper trail brigade. Good times.”

“Not really.”

“Exactly,” Stella laughed. “You should be home with me.”

“I hear you're wearing an interesting outfit.”

“Nah, I'm in a tee shirt now. You should be home so we could fake sick, stay home, and watch TV. Meghan finally got me _White Collar_ …I think you'll enjoy it.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmm hmm,” She said. “Peter kinda reminds me of you, except you're cuter, and I wouldn’t be at all peeved about Tiffani Thiessen playing me. She’s still hot.”

“Agreed.” Jack replied.

“Which part?”

“Tiffani Thiessen is still hot.”

They both laughed. It felt good for Jack to laugh. The BAU was in a county that rarely dealt with violent crimes and yet there had been three murders in the past month. This Unsub was escalating, seeming to get off more and more from the victim’s pain. This was sexual sadism with a twist; Clinton was positive that they were dealing with a young woman. Jack didn’t want to think about it right now. Even if he only went away for ten minutes or so, he was glad to go away.

“I'm not taking you away from anything, am I?” Stella asked.

“We’re in Columbia County, Pennsylvania and I needed a break.”

“When you come home I'm going to do something good for you.”

“I really miss you.” Jack could barely breathe the words. Three weeks since their first date, seven since their encounter at The Pub, and he was officially smitten. It didn’t help that he and Stella primarily conducted their relationship via iPhone and gmail. She seemed fine with that now but a knot grew in Jack’s stomach. No woman put up with the BAU for long. Not his mother, not Anne, and probably not Stella. It was hard to enjoy the bliss now when his brain had already profiled the bitter end.

“I miss you too. I've been listening to far too much AC/DC and thinking of you. I'm definitely more of a Brian Johnson girl but I can see how one can be all about Bon Scott.”

“I don’t knock Brian, particularly the _Back in Black_ album, but there would be no band without Bon.”

“I can agree with that. You probably need to get back to work. Where are you again?”

“Columbia County, Pennsylvania. The Sheriff’s Station is in this adorable little town called Bloomsburg. It’s a college town, and the only town in Pennsylvania, just so you know.”

“Fascinating.” Stella said.

“No its not,”

“When you tell it, Jack Hotchner, yes it is. It’s kinda late to still be working.”

“Need I remind you that you just got home.” Jack replied.

“Touché. If I had anything waiting for me but tea and tee shirt sheets, I would’ve wrapped it up sooner.”

“Stel...”

“What's the matter?”

“I'm just never there. I don't know if…who wants to date a ghost?”

“I'm not dating a ghost; I'm dating a busy FBI Agent who still stopped everything to call me at midnight. Nothing’s perfect, Jack.”

“You're wrong. Your laugh is perfect. Your smile is perfect too; your eyes, your coffee, your kisses.”

“Come home soon and you'll get all of that.” She said.

“I will, Stella, I promise.”

“Kick Unsub ass, OK?”

“I’ll do my best. You make sure to use latex gloves; they reduce paper cuts.”

Stella laughed and Jack missed her more than ever.

“Sweet dreams, John Bradshaw Hotchner.”

“Sweet dreams; I can't wait to see you again.”

“Me too; goodnight.”

Stella hung up first because she knew Jack wouldn’t. He was right, it was hard, but not for the reasons he probably thought. It sucked that he wasn’t around but mostly because Stella wanted to always wrap her arms around him. In Jack’s presence, she was high on life. In his arms, she walked on clouds. That’s why distance sucked.

No matter how many miles were between them, it would never change the way she felt about him. Nothing would change that. She didn’t want to say she was in love because that kind of thing scared her. She knew what she felt even if she didn’t want to put words to it yet.

Finishing off her tea, her cell phone played the ring tone for a text message. Opening it she saw the symbol and the smile spread across her whole face. <3, never had a sign and a single number been so significant. Stella typed the same symbol back, along with the word too, and knew it was bedtime. Tonight there would be sweet dreams for sure.

***


End file.
